Pacific Salmon and Steelhead

Pacific salmon and steelhead have a dynamic life cycle that includes time in fresh and saltwater habitats. These fish are born in freshwater streams and rivers, migrate to coastal estuaries, then enter the ocean where they mature. They usually return as adults to the same streams where they were born to spawn and begin the cycle again.

NOAA Fisheries manages and protects several species of fish in the Salmonidae family in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Some are threatened or endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act. Others are targeted by commercial and recreational fisheries and are managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to maintain healthy, sustainable population levels.

Pacific salmon and steelhead include the following species:

Chinook Salmon

• ESA-protected Chinook salmon
• MSA-managed Chinook salmon fisheries

Chum Salmon

• ESA-protected chum salmon
• MSA-managed chum salmon fisheries

Coho Salmon

• ESA-protected coho salmon
• MSA-managed coho salmon fisheries

Sockeye Salmon

• ESA protected sockeye salmon
• MSA-managed sockeye salmon fisheries

Pink Salmon

• MSA-managed pink salmon fisheries

Steelhead Trout

• ESA-protected steelhead trout

Learn about our work to manage and protect salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest: